Mysuru, Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada chosen for pilot project

Bengaluru:  In a major move, the State Government has decided to form ‘Akka Pade’ (Sisters Force), an exclusive squad to curb the cases of child marriages on a pilot basis, in three districts, including Mysuru, Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada, effective from tomorrow (Aug. 15).

This was announced at the Legislative Assembly by Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

Replying to the query of JD(S) Legislature Party leader C.B. Suresh Babu, during the question hour at the Assembly, yesterday, Hebbalkar said, the Akka Pade shall include Women Police personnel, Senior cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the Women and Child Development Department officials.  The squad will be provided with a vehicle.

In the first phase, the squad shall be collating the details of out-of-college girl students, said Hebbalkar. “A Committee involving 10 Departments has been constituted to effectively deal with the social malaise like child marriage, so that the issue can be rooted out from the core. To further the cause, the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Karnataka Amendment) Act, 2025, is being brought into effect,” she noted.

While 685 cases of minor pregnancy were reported in 2024-25, it was followed by 709 in 2023-24 and 405 in 2022-23. Every district will have a Child Protection Committee and social media should be restrained, with child marriage still being practised in a few communities.

‘We are drafting modalities’

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, B. Basavaraju, Deputy Director of Women and Child Development Department, Mysuru, said, “We are drafting the modalities, as the Government has ordered for constituting Akka Pade yesterday. The squad will have Police, NCC cadets, Women and Child Welfare Department officials and the child rights activists.”